CES 2009 TRENDS – Internet TVs

CES 2009 will definitely be remembered as the time when TVs and the web finally started playing nice with each other. Thanks to a string of web–enabled TVs from the likes of LG and Samsung, using Yahoo's new widgets, it won't be long until you're using your TV to catch up on the latest internet TV feeds and of course the Stuff.tv vidcast.

LG
LG has shown off plasma and LCD "Broadband TVs" this week in Vegas. As well as using Yahoo! Widgets, which will let punters check Yahoo–backed sites like Flickr via their TVs, LG has also struck deals with YouTube, Netflix and CinemaNow in the US, meaning you don't need to use your PC to watch internet TV.

Samsung
Not ones to be be outdown by their fierce Korean rivals, Samsung has also got its very own web–backed range of TVs. Yahoo is their main partner, meaning this will be a US endeavour before things really get started in the UK. That said it's a vaible alternative to LG's Ethernet–rocking efforts.

Toshiba Cell TV
Toshiba's Cell TV prototype has been one of the top stories at CES, offering 4k x 2k pictures and a box which will deliver web connectivity to your telly. Remaining coy on dates and models. Tosh has said it will be unleashing a line of broadband–enabled TVs later in 2009, using a similar widget system to Yahoo's.

Panasonic
Panny has announced its new Viera Cast tech, which they're planning to cram into their new Viera models throughout 2009. It'll route web TV goodies through Panasonic servers directly onto the web connected TVs. They've signed up Amazon's on–demand in the US, offering 40,000 movies at the push of a button.

Watch our daily digest from day one at CES 2009.